Interesting article in the A.B.A. Journal on federal loan policies and the law school applicant bubble. This deft analysis deserves careful scrutiny. For now, let me just say that a piece of the puzzle missing from the picture painted is the decline in governmental support (principally state support) for public law schools over the past quarter century and, separately, the impact of the tough economic climate on private philanthropy directed toward both public and private law schools. Any way you slice, challenging times are ahead for U.S. law schools. What will distinguish Northwestern is our commitment and ability to meet these challenges with creative, constructive, and sustainable solutions.

Predictions about legal education in 2012? I’ll open “comments” for this purpose. Civil, constructive, and non-anonymous, pretty please.

OK, I’ll start (although these are more hopes than predictions):

(1) From enrage to engage: We will see professional educators and lawyers working more thoughtfully to respond to the drumbeat of criticism about the structure of American legal education and its challenges. The truth, after all, lies between “it’s rotten all the way down” and “it’s the best of all possible worlds.” Engagement among stakeholders, the press, political officials, and the public is the logical next step. Read more

I am sorry to report that Professor Jane Larson of the University of Wisconsin Law School has passed away. Professor Larson began her law teaching career at Northwestern Law School in 1990 and was on the faculty for six years before joining the Wisconsin law faculty.

Here is a nice remembrance from her Northwestern Law days from Prof. Howard Wasserman.

UPDATE: Here is the memorial notice from Wisconsin Law. Note that Prof. Larson was twice the recipient of a teaching excellence award during her years at Northwestern. We join with our Wisconsin colleagues in mourning the death of Prof. Larson.

. . . will be Rico Sauve, our canine companion. You can see him here enjoying last winter’s snow day in Austin, Texas. He is looking forward to joining the Northwestern Law community and bringing his good nature and energy to the students, staff, and faculty.

Meineke Car Care Bowl, Houston, TX, December 31, 2011, Northwestern v. Texas A&M . . . and I couldn’t be more excited. And, yes, I will be there. I will be the law dean in purple.

Having spent the past five years in lathers of competitive hatred (well, not really “hatred”) directed toward the Texas A&M Aggies, it would give me and my U. Texas friends no greater pleasure than to see A&M be mashed up by the fierce Northwestern Wildcats.

Because we cannot count on that happening in the natural course of things, I am recommending some can’t-miss plays to our great coach, Pat Fitzgerald. (I trust that no Aggies are reading this blog).

The first two of the plays comes via the fabled Fiesta Bowl of 2007 between Boise St. and Oklahoma: . A guaranteed six points for our Wildcats.

Next, a trick play from NFL last weekend, the Cam Newton fumblerooski: